Direct mail campaigns and the acquisition of fundraising consultants are among the ways South Carolina State University is working to boost giving to the institution.
“We're seeing a lot of significant contributions across the board not just from private donors, but alums," S.C. State Board Trustee Jameel Allen Sr., academic affairs committee chairman, said during a Feb. 2 board meeting.
Sonja Bennett-Bellamy, S.C. State vice president for institutional advancement and external affairs, said while $2.2 million in private giving was down approximately $250,000 compared to the same time last year, there is no need to panic.
“We drilled down to see why that was. It seems last year this time that we had had a scheduled amount of classes and reunions having already submitted their money, and they haven't done that quite yet. We do expect to be getting those real soon,” Bellamy said.
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“We're also in the throes of implementing a Founders' Day direct-mail campaign that will be executed somewhere around mid to late February. ... We're also preparing video profiles that will be a part of our presentation of our 14 Miller Society inductees who will be inducted this year at the ceremony,” she said.
The Miller Society is the university’s elite giving society. It honors donors who have contributed $100,000 or more to the university.
Bennett-Bellamy said the acquisition of fundraising consultants will also help the university raise money.
“We are in the throes of the procurement process to garner those folks ... and talk to them about their approach to this capital campaign and give their recommendations on what their next steps would be. Then we'll make a decision about who exactly is going to lead us into that next phase,” she said.
Current fundraising initiatives also include the rollout of FreeWill, a fundraising tool that Bennett-Bellamy said will assist with the planned-giving component of the capital campaign.
"Giving people this option to leave us in their will has not been something that we've presented very well as an option, and I'm sure there are lots of people out there who, if they had the opportunity, would do so. This gives us what we need to actually pull that component into our comprehensive fundraising approach,” she said.
Bennett-Bellamy also reported on the university’s upcoming 32nd annual Scholarship Gala and Tribute to be held Saturday, April 22, at Hyatt Regency Hotel, 220 N. Main St., Greenville.
"Sponsorships are coming in. Appeals to corporate sponsors are ongoing,” Bennett-Bellamy said.
Allen said moving the gala to Greenville was a strategic move and provided a bigger venue for one of the university’s biggest fundraising events.
“I think the university has elected to rotate the location going forward. So it won't be Greenville every year. I think everybody will get an opportunity to host: Charleston, Atlanta, etc. ... and Florence."
Bennett-Bellamy also reported on the status of the university’s website development, with layout and design work among the components that are running ahead of schedule.
She also informed trustees that student media would return to the university with the development of a university lifestyle magazine.
“Many of you who have been around for a while know that there was a department within the Division of External Affairs that hosted student media (a collegiate newspaper and magazine). That went away and now it's back,” Bennett-Bellamy said.
“The students have approached me, and ... they're going to come back to you with a digital lifestyle magazine that's going to be called 'Spike,’” she said.
Athletics
Keisha Campbell, acting athletics director, said the university is looking to move toward a digital ticket sale system.
“We’re looking to go more towards the digital ticket sales for not only game tickets, but also the parking ... to be able to not have so much cash floating around on campus,” she said.
Campbell said the track resurfacing work is nearing completion, while in the area of women’s softball, the dugouts will be updated, a new tarp will be purchased to cover the infield and batting cages will be replaced.
Updates are also being made in Staley Hall in academic-support areas to provide for more privacy and for learning specialist to tutor students.
Campbell said last semester there were 128 students who earned a GPA of 3.0 or higher, with 28 earning a GPA of 4.0 or higher. All of them were honored at a recent basketball game.
She reported that the athletics department’s most immediate objectives are to establish regular meetings with key faculty and staff members, revise and implement business processes, and continue to address program needs in priority order.
“We need to establish our regular meetings with our key faculty and staff members ... so that we can ensure that we are all on the same page when it comes to being NCAA compliant, especially when it comes to our certification processes,” she said.
Of addressing program needs, she continued, “Right now I’m seeing priority within our facilities that impact most of the sports, or all of the sports, but also, in particular, the softball program.”
Campbell said the university is also expanding its partnership with the University of South Carolina to get some athletic trainers.
“We’re still running into issues in hiring. So we’re looking to expand through graduate assistantships in order for our teams to have better coverage. ... I don't want the people that we do have to get burned out,” she said.
Contact the writer: dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5534. Follow "Good News with Gleaton" on Twitter at @DionneTandD